The very nature of loading cargo onto airplanes, trailers, and other vehicles that transport palletized cargo is fraught with potential dangers. When pallets of cargo enter through cargo bay doors, there is a chance that the palletized cargo may inadvertently roll backwards out through the doors. Safety devices are available to prevent the cargo from rolling backwards, but quite often such safety devices must be manually adjusted after the cargo has passed through the door, then readjusted prior to entry of the next pallet of cargo, thus inhibiting the loading process. Other safety devices forego manual adjustments between pallets, but require awkward maneuvering of the cargo, such as in a direction perpendicular to the direction of entry into the cargo bay, which may also inhibit the loading process. Still other safety devices may be inadvertently initiated at the wrong time by hard impacts with the cargo pallet.
Another danger that arises in handling cargo is a result of movement of the cargo during transit. Airplanes, boats, trailers, and other vehicles that transport cargo often encounter turbulence or other obstacles that cause the cargo bay to become jostled, often tilting the pallets from a horizontal orientation to an angled orientation, which may cause the pallets to slide around the cargo bay into precarious positions. Such shifting of cargo may damage the cargo as well as endanger the cargo handlers who subsequently unload the cargo.
There is a need or desire for a safety device that allows transition of palletized cargo into a cargo bay and prevents the palletized cargo from inadvertently rolling backwards during loading as well as during transport. There is also a need or desire for a safety device that provides vertical restraint to pallets during transport.